SOURCING & LOGISTICS
Clinging to customer service amid cost containment
by Rick Dana Barlow 219331233 © Iurii Motov, 133631119 © Viktoriia Kotova |
Dreamstime.com E
ach person may harbor a specifi c defi nition of superb customer service based on attention to detail that moti- vates a safe and welcome return to transacting with that vendor time and time again. And while each person’s expectation of superb customer service may be customized to individual preferences, key ele- ments seem to form a framework for an effective model. The common denominator? Three criteria: Access to service with someone helpful and understanding, convenience and quick response – the more immediate and rapid, the better. Whereas healthcare providers (as in buyers) know superb customer service when they experience it, healthcare suppli- ers (as in sellers) recognize their own capabilities of deliver- ing on demand.
To close out 2023, and the remnant of a global pandemic, Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN) wanted to offer suppliers – manufacturers, distributors and service companies – the opportunity to refl ect on what they feel were demonstrations of exemplary customer service. HPN amassed a broad list of companies spanning supply chain, sterile processing, surgical services, infection prevention, environmental services and information technology, spotlighting 20. Specifi cally, HPN asked them to share details about what happened with a customer, how they handled it together, who participated in the solution and how they collaborated to move forward. HPN felt such ideas would serve as an informative breath of fresh air and good news to cap yet another year clouded by continuing cost pressures. [Editorrs Note: Due to the healthy response you will fi nd more examples continued at HPN Online.]
Healthmark Industries Specifi c challenge the customer faced: We had one particular customer that was using a cleaning verifi cation daily and it was passing. But when they were introduced to a true surrogate cleaning verifi cation (TOSI) and began to use it, the results were inconsistent and sometimes failing. Also the datalogger (TempChek DL), which identifi es time and temperatures within a wash cycle, identifi ed numerous incorrect temperatures and time duration during the cycle. How the challenge was addressed and solved directly or
Cheron Rojo
by assisting the customer: To get to the root cause (s), we fi rst addressed the simple fi x-it-yourself items, such as unclogging rotating arms and readjusting rotating arms to the correct place- ment. From the results of the datalogger the service equipment representative was involved to adjust times and temperatures for each phase of the wash cycle, e.g., added a cold pre-rinse cycle, enzymatic cycle temperature was lowered, and detergent phase time was lengthened.
Cheron Rojo, senior clinical education specialist, Healthmark Industries
VPL Specifi c challenge the customer faced: A valued, long-time customer of VPL who was also one of the nation’s most com- prehensive, integrated health care delivery systems, came to us originally because they were challenged by uncontrolled costs partially driven by unmanaged freight spend and also unmoni- tored supplier shipping behaviors.
6 December 2023 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
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